Thursday, 28 April 2016

As some of you may have seen posted on my social media lately, I have opened a shop within an online marketplace in Dubai. It's a small business venture to hopefully sell some of the things i have crafted to those who love and appreciate the art of design. It's a really hard thing to put a price on handmade work, especially in this age of cheap retail. You question yourself, your craftsmanship and quality. Alas, friends and family came to the rescue with encouraging words and I finally started.

I also recently completed a Graphic Design course which has given me the skills to design prints, invites and monograms. This is also included in the shop.

I hope you like the pieces and I would love to hear from fellow designers, crafters and work-at-home-mums about collaborating in the future or just for a general chat!

Friday, 8 April 2016

This recipe is a really simple variation of the Snickerdoodle recipe I posted a while back on this blog. As soon as I tasted the original Snickerdoodle, I knew it would be the perfect base for the yummiest chocolate chip cookies. I am definitely no expert but I'm sure the buttery, crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside texture is due to 2 things:

1 - You must beat your sugar and butter until really smooth and fluffy

2 - Chilling the dough in the fridge for a minimum of overnight is needed. I made the dough at around 4pm and baked the first batch at 8am the following morning. It also such a nice feeling to smell freshly baked cookies in the morning!

Ingredients

350g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

225g butter, room temperature

200g caster sugar

100g light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan-forced) and line two baking sheets with baking paper. In a medium bowl whisk the flour,baking powder and salt together to combine, then set aside.

Using a free standing mixer, place the butter and sugar the bowl and beat together until light and fluffy (aim for 5+ min). If you do not have a stand mixer, use an electric whisk to beat the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs and vanilla, one at a time mixing thoroughly between each addition. Add the flour mixture in three addition, using a silicone spoon or your hands until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix your dough.

Shape cookies using an ice cream scoop and take directly out of the bowl. Place them on a lined cookie sheet and chill covered for 18-24 hours. Take out of the fridge 30 mins before you want to bake them.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden around the edges but still soft in the middle (mine took 10mins). Allow to cool on baking sheets slightly before transferring onto a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.